Belief 2:  Trust…”my manager gives me what my performance deserves”

We always pay a price when our actions as leaders don’t back up our words about the importance of performance.

The leader mentioned in today’s Quick Tip paints a dreadful picture of consequences as she continues her story:

When people believe they don’t get what their performance deserves, they say, “What’s the use?” and just give up.

And the dominos start to fall.

Our high performers are looking to get out. The loyal tenured ones whose performance really has never been up to par, there’re pleased as punch. And the steady performers are so stressed out from the fear of being “next to go” that they aren’t getting the job done.

We as leaders did this to ourselves. I’m sure there’s a way to turn this situation around. I don’t know what it is, but I’m going to find out!

The solution is the same as the prevention—actions must match words about the importance of performance. Except now it’s more important than ever.

Why more important now?

Many have seen and felt evidence that other things (namely, loyalty, tenure, relationships) are more important than performance.

Actions have contradicted words, and that puts you in a turnaround situation. 

So, what do you do now?

It boils down to this: you have to make a statement! In actions, not just words.

How? You have to show that everyone gets what their performance deserves.

Do something special for your high performers. Not just one time either. Find out what they want, and give them the things you can. Not just one time either.

Avoid guessing what they want. Ask them! There’s nothing worse than giving something they don’t want. It’ll be simple things though, like more feedback, greater access to you, help when they need it, and a show of appreciation for their accomplishments.  Make it clear that whatever you give is because their performance deserves it.

Do something special for those who are not meeting your expectations, too, but a different something. Take a compassionate approach and help them clearly see where their performance needs to be, and by when. Talk about what will happen if they perform as you expect, and the consequences if they don’t. Remember, show compassion in this discussion!

Keep in mind, this discussion is all talk. It must be backed up with action. Do something, like have weekly reviews on their progress. Recognize improvement. If progress falls short, withhold any approval, and have them tell you what they are going to do to get things back on track.

With this overall approach, they can choose to improve, or not. Either way the ball is in their court. Their future is in their hands.

This will work. It always works. You just have to find the courage to let your actions back up your words.

The key is to do the right thing now. It will pay off. Things will turn around!

You may be saying things to yourself now. ”This isn’t realistic. You can’t always give people what their performance deserves.”

True, not always. But you can find a substitute that will make the performers happy, and different ways of holding others accountable to ratchet up their performance.

It’s a simple matter of wanting to do what is right, and reaping the rewards for your efforts!

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